


The Short Story of Caterina

by waywardwandress



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Black Romance, Canon Related, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Dream Bubbles, F/F, F/M, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Rating May Change, morails
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-22 05:30:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3716902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardwandress/pseuds/waywardwandress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caterina, a descendant of Jade Harley, has landed in the troll's meteor due to an ectobiology mishap. It takes a while for her to fit in, but soon enough, she becomes "one of the trolls" in a way, and tries to work beyond the different cultures of trolls and humans. This story starts pre-scratch and will follow the canon plotline and diverge towards the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Accidental Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat Vantas is running with Sollux in hand, trying to find a place of refuge to think of a plan as Gamzee is loose, murdering trolls left and right. Karkat unknowingly runs into a bathroom, and that is where our story begins :)

Karkat's POV

Chapter 1: Accidental Encounter

I was too busy trying to not get _killed_ that I ran into the closest room I could find, and didn't have time to check to see who else could possibly be in there. So I threw open the door in haste to find some sort of refuge, and slammed it shut behind me, panting.

     It was then that I heard water running inside.

            _OH, FUCK._

To my utter embarrassment, I heard a female voice call out, "Hello?" and this was the last thing I needed on top of everything else going on, _fuckfuckfuck, I just need to think!_

"H-hello?.." she called again.

"SHUT UP," I hissed, "HE'LL HEAR US, DUMBASS!"

" _Karkat?!_ What the fuck, I'm taking a shower, get the hell out of here, you perv!" a head popped out from the curtains, and out of all people, it had to be Caterina glaring at me.

I don't have the patience for this.

"FUCK, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE– LOOK, WE'RE IN DANGER, FIRST ERIDAN WALTZED INTO THE LAB, STARTED A FIGHT WITH SOLLUX, AND THEN HE KILLED FEFERI AND KANAYA. AND NOW GAMZEE LOST HIS SHIT AND WENT ON A MURDERING SPREE. HE'S KILLING TROLLS LEFT AND RIGHT AND I JUST RAN IN HERE TO THINK. SO FUCKING SUE ME."

"But I'm naked in here!" she whined with obvious humiliation. Then she glanced down at Sollux’s limp body. Her frustration quickly turned to unadulterated anger.

_“YOU FUCKING BROUGHT SOLLUX HERE TOO?! WHAT IF HE WAKES UP?!”_ she basically screamed.

"HE’S BLIND, AND THAT DOESN'T MATTER NOW, WE COULD DIE! JUST PLEASE, QUIET DOWN WHILE I TRY TO THINK HERE. TURN THE WATER OFF."

With an irritated sigh, she surprisingly obeyed, and I sat on the toilet beside the shower.

 

* * *

 

Caterina's POV

"Alright Nep, I'm gonna take a shower, I'll be right back," I smiled down at Nepeta, who gave me a warm, "Bye, Cat!" as I walked away.

Everything was calm in the Veil on our isolated meteor, and most of the trolls had already accepted and tolerated my alien intrusion. I slightly suspected that Nepeta only took a liking to me because of the word, "cat" in my name, but I liked her all the same. We hung out from time to time on the asteroid, but I mainly walked around by myself exploring the place, and spying on the other trolls. I don't really know how I came to be the only human here on this asteroid, but I was in my room back on earth before I suddenly appearified before them, blinking and confused. Apparently I was some descendent of another human named Jade, accidentally created out of an ectobiology mishap. Nevertheless, I became pretty good friends/hate friends with all of them, but the troll that was the hardest to figure out was Karkat.

I've tried to talk to him and be friendly, but he was always so hostile towards me that I eventually began throw back some hostility to him. And to that, he often responded with grumpy expletives before he walked off. What was his deal? I pondered this as I headed toward the bathroom, oblivious for what was about to come.

I always denied the trolls' true nature to be violent and terrifying, as I was trying to make myself feel safe around these random, alien strangers, but I never expected this. Feeling thoroughly violated, annoyed and embarrassed on top of newly brewing panic in my chest, my heart raced as Karkat sat beside me, only a thin curtain blocking my nude body from his sight. Although I'd never admit it to myself, much less him, I couldn't help but feel a slight attraction to the strange troll. To be really honest, I felt safe under his leadership and admired him as a person(troll?) when he wasn't being a complete immature douchebag. Which, to be even more honest, was most of the time.

"So? What do you got, genius?" I whispered sarcastically, before I heard a loud HONK slowly approaching from outside and we both jumped in fear.

_Oh, god._

 

* * *

 

Karkat's POV

_OH GOG._

I've never been so terrified in my entire life.

"SHIT, I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THIS," I tried to explain quickly as I pulled back the curtain to hide.

"Wha-!" she began to cry out in panic, and I slammed my hand over her mouth. Keeping my eyes determined to focus on her dark brown ones, I put a finger to my lips and she nodded, her face bright red and eyes wide. She was shaking in fear and humiliation as we slowly sat down together in the tub and she flinched whenever my skin would accidentally touch hers. Fuck, I felt terrible for making her feel so uncomfortable, but it's not like I particularly enjoyed being in a bathroom with a naked human girl, either. Still, my eyes couldn't help but just glance over her bare skin even for just a second.

We found ourselves huddling close together as we heard the HONKs get nearer and nearer, and my blood ran cold as I heard what was most likely Gamzee's footsteps stop in front of the door.

**_HONK._ **

Caterina was basically on my lap now, and my hand tightened around my sickle. We prepared for the worst until a screeching _"pounceavenge!"_ shattered the silence and my heart rose in hope.

"ALRIGHT, NOW'S MY CHANCE TO SNEAK UP BEHIND HIM WHILE HE'S DISTRACTED. STAY. HERE." I whispered firmly.

"No, are you crazy?!" she whispered back stubbornly, gripping on my shirt. "I'm not letting you leave me here alone! Either I go with you, or we sit back here and hear everyone die before we're next."

Gog, she was fucking impossible.

"TAKE THIS," I grumbled as I pulled off my shirt, and looked away to hide my blush. In her fear, I think she herself forgot she was naked and quickly snatched my shirt to cover herself.

"Th-thanks," she murmured, hiding her ashamed face. Thankfully the shirt was long enough on her to cover her lower parts as well, and I could tell she was trying hard to return the favor of not staring at my bare chest. Slowly, we began to stand up together to get out of the tub as quietly as possible. Caterina, realizing what she had been doing, practically jumped away from me and put a chaste distance between us as we headed towards the door.

However, we stopped short when we heard her screams.

"Nepe-" Cat cried out again before my hand silenced her.  Tears streaked her face, and I was taken aback at how much she actually cared for us. Red tinged tears were dangerously close to spilling over at the sight of another friend's death, and it took all the strength I could muster to keep strong and look composed as leader for the team; there were more important matters at hand. Cat equipped her sniper rifle beside me, and I gripped my sickle. Ready to strife if we had to, we walked out of the bathroom. Sollux began to stir, and being blind, he couldn't assess the scandalous situation and kept quiet. For once.  I sucked in my breath as I saw Nepeta's body crumpled only yards away, and Cat whimpered softly. Sollux just followed along, knowing what was going on.

We needed to find the others. If there are any others.

"Karkat..." Cat began.

"WHAT?"

"What are we going to do now? How many of us are..?"

"WE'RE GOING TO FIND THE OTHERS."

 


	2. The Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just an upd8 for this fanfic: I kiiiiind of went back and read my older chapters (so far I have 9 chapters planned) and I kinda changed around a whole lot of the plot, so I rearranged a lot of chapters and all that jazz, so if you found my story originally on fanfiction (I plan on deleting it there and moving to posting it solely on this website) it's going to be completely different. Now that my college trip is over, I'll be on regular posting schedule, hope y'all enjoy!

Caterina's  POV

 

Chapter 2: The Showdown

We walked warily through the lab, and on the way, heard word from Terezi that she was alright. From her, we heard that Vriska had killed Tavros, adding to the depressingly long count of the deceased.

First, Aradia bot exploded, leading to Aradia's final death,

Then Vriska killed Tavros,

Eridan KO'd Sollux and killed Feferi and Kanaya (Karkat told me how he had revived Kanaya, though)

And lastly, Gamzee killed both Equius and Nepeta.

How many more trolls? How many more friends were going to die? I looked up at Karkat beside me, and I wanted to reach out and hold his hand, but of course, I couldn't do that. Now wasn't the time or place. I led Sollux along instead, hoping that at least he would be safe to be around. I didn't know how many of these trolls I could actually trust to protect me, and I put faith in Karkat as our leader to protect me, to protect us. If I couldn't trust Karkat, I didn't know what I would do. I unknowingly clutched tighter to my rifle, and tighter onto Sollux's hand.

"ow, st0p squeezing s0 hard!" Sollux complained

"What?" I said, realizing. "Oh, sorry Sol, I'm just a little on edge."

"s'0kay," he replied. "wait. why d0 y0u smell like kk??"

"Uh..." I looked down at his shirt, and now pants that he let me borrow when we stopped by his makeshift respite block in the meteor, and he grabbed a shirt for himself too.

"DON'T ASK," Karkat grumbled, his voice low.

"its like seeing– i mean sniffing tw0 kk's.. 0ne's irritating en0ugh," he jeered.

Karkat flipped him off. But I giggled because of course, Sollux couldn't see.

 

* * *

 

 

Karkat's POV

Gog, it's been such a terrible fucking day. I keep wondering what would have happened if we all decided to just ditch this game and return to our normal lives. I would be at my computer, watching my shitty romcoms, with no interruptions from trolls OR humans, for that matter.

Humans. Oh gog, I can't get that fucking image of Caterina out of my head. How retarded could I possibly be? I swear, I hate past me, even when I just finished being him. I've always wondered what a human's anatomy looked like, but I didn't want to find out in that way!  Fuck. Ever since that whole fiasco, I can't get her out of my head, and I can't fucking believe I gave her my clothes. Ugh, I'll have to wash the human out of them. Gross. Part of me hated her so much because she always made me so nervous when I was around her, and I won't admit to myself why. I shook myself out of my daze and focused on finding the others.  
It didn't take long.  
We arrived at what seemed to be a showdown and Cat fell back to cover if things got dicey. Hidden out of sight, she had her rifle aimed at Gamzee, waiting. She was out for blood and seeing that rage in her made me hate her more. But she held her fire. For now.    
Looking around, Kanaya was alive and well, covered in dark violet blood with an iridescent glow to her, (Good, she took care of that asshole.) Vriska was lying on the floor, most likely dead, Terezi seemed fine, her canes ready to strife, Sollux stood ready, despite his blindness, and finally Gamzee looked us with his murderous, half lidded eyes, and hammer gripped. His face had three long slashes marring his makeup, and his light purple blood dripped down menacingly. I slowly walked up to him, sickle in hand, but–  
     I won't be needing it.

* * *

Caterina’s POV

Kneeled down, and breath held for accuracy, I aimed at Gamzee's pretty little head, ready to fire at Karkat's call. The five stared at each other for a couple of minutes, waiting to see who was going to step forward first.

         And then Karkat dropped his sickle.

What the hell is he doing?! I whispered furiously to myself. I watched in disbelief as he swatted away his friends' weapons and strode over to Gamzee. It was all I could do not to panic. I scoped in to get a closer look.

Karkat was calm. He slowly began petting (papping?) Gamzee's face while shooshing him softly.

          _What the actual fuck??_

Gamzee started honking uncontrollably but seemed to be responding to Karkat's shooshpapping, his honks growing gradually weaker until they pulled each other in for a hug. Aw, how cute. Karkat soon broke away and looked towards me.

"HEY CATERINA, YOU CAN COME BACK OUT NOW. EVERYONE ELSE, GO BACK TO THE LAB AND STAY THERE, ASSHOLES. LEADER'S ORDERS."

I lowered my sniper and capatchalogued it, walking over to the trolls.

"SuRe ThInG, bEsT fRiEnD, oR sHoUlD i SaY, mOrAiL? :o)" Gamzee and Sollux left without an argument. I only hoped that Gamzee was safe to be around now.

"OOOH, WHY 1S C4T3R1N4 W34R1NG YOUR CLOTH3S, K4RKL3SSSS? I C4N SM311 YOU ON H3R H3H3H3" Terezi teased at my appearance. Oh fuck, I forgot I was even wearing these.. I looked down at myself and gave a helpless smile in response.

"D1D YOU TWO H4V3 4 MOM3NT?? OOH, HOW SC4ND4LOUS!"

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY? GO BACK TO THE LAB. AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, NO WE DID NOT HAVE A 'MOMENT', AND ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS IF WE DID. I DON'T PRY ABOUT YOU AND DAVE, DO I?" Karkat quickly yelled back at her.

Terezi just giggled and transportalized back to the lab, as were her "leader's" commands. Kanaya gave us a strange look and opened her mouth to make a comment, but decided against it and chuckled, following Terezi.

I strode up to Karkat, and he looked up at me.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, HAVEN'T I SEEN ENOUGH OF YOU TODAY?" he said sounded irritated and tired. It took him a second before he realized what he said and face palmed himself.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN."

"Yeah.. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for everything, really. I was so terrified out there, and I was sure we were going to die.. But you handled everything smoothly. You're a great leader, Karkat," I said, "You don't give yourself enough credit."

With that, I turned and transportalized to the lab as well.

"WAI–!" Karkat tried to say, but I disappeared before he could finish.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and don't hesitate to leave kudos or a comment below! Love ya'll~ <3  
> \- Careline


	3. Grieving

Caterina’s POV

I quickly headed towards my own respite block to change out of Karkat's clothes and back into my own clothes before anyone else could see. I regretted having to give back the shirt, it felt so warm, and... it really did smell like Karkat; it felt like he was there with me when I was wearing it, and for once on this damn asteroid, I felt truly safe. But I reluctantly took it off, and replaced it with my own pale yellow sweater. Leaving his clothes on my bed, I returned to the lab and headed straight towards the troll.

"Hey Karkat, I'm going back to LOSAS (Land of Sound and Shade) to complete more quests. Is that okay?"

"WHAT? BUT WE NEED YOU HERE. WE'RE SHORT ON TROLLS AS IT IS, ARGH, WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I really need to get these quests done, I'm kinda behind."

"ALRIGHT. JUST.. BE CAREFUL, OKAY?"

I nodded and left for my own planet. I need to get out of here.

In LOSAS, I trained with my sniper, and eventually upgraded it to turn into a sword if I wanted to, and I made myself some pretty good pistols too. My overall skill was long range combat and accuracy, though. Taking out the imps in my area helped to eliminate any fears or worries that I had of the trolls. If any of them came to attack me out of another crazy phase, I would be ready. For Nepeta, I would be ready.

Karkat's POV

"WAIT!" I tried to call out to Caterina before she left, but it was too late, she couldn't hear me. I gave a frustrated sigh and transportalized to the lab myself. Everyone snickered at me when I came into the room.

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GET YOUR ASSES BACK TO WORK. THE HUMANS ARE GOING TO PERFORM THE SCRATCH SOON."

Where was Caterina? She didn't seem to be in the lab either, but I couldn't dare ask anyone where she had went, not that they'd know or really care where she went either.

         As if on cue, she transportlized into the lab again and headed straight for me, asking if she could return to her planet. I wondered what she did to my clothes, now that she was dressed in her own clothes. I really wanted to talk to her, but I let her go. She was a quite a few levels beneath us, anyway. Hours went by, and I tried to keep in contact with Jade and John as they started working toward scratching the game. Soon, we wouldn't be able to see their timelines anymore, and they would meet us. Part of me was admittedly looking forward to meeting the annoyances that I've been forced to deal with, especially John. That damned human infected us all with the "friendship" disease. And that made me wonder, was I really friends with Caterina, or were we in a quadrant somewhere? Could she even understand the fragile concept of a quadrant? Argh, where was she? She seemed like she was in a hurry to leave, and I couldn't blame her. Being around a bunch of murderous trolls can take a toll eventually. She probably hates us now.

carcinoGeneticist [CG]  began trolling kittyCaterina [KC]

CG: ARE YOU FINISHED WITH YOUR QUESTS YET

CG: REALLY, KITTYCATERINA? YOU LET NEPETA MAKE YOUR TROLLIAN ACCOUNT, DIDN'T YOU

KC: Shut up, Karkat, you have no idea how much she meant to me and she was a lot nicer to me than the rest of you were, especially you in particular!!

KC: Do you have any idea how much she cared about you???

CG: SHIT, I DIDN'T MEAN TO GET YOU UPSET, BUT I GUESS HUMANS AREN'T AS USED TO DEATH AS WE ARE

KC: I mean, do you even care that your friends are gone at all???

GC: OF COURSE I CARE.

CG: I WAS THEIR LEADER, AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM, BUT I FUCKED IT UP BECAUSE PAST ME IS A RETARDED ASSHOLE.

KC: Don't you see that past you IS you?

KC: A dumber version of you, at least.

CG: LOOK, JUST COME BACK TO BASE, OKAY?

CG: WE NEED YOU HERE TO KEEP EVERYONE IN ORDER

KC: I thought that was your job, smartass.

GC: YOU'D BE A BETTER LEADER THAN ME.

KC: What are you saying?

KC: First you're mean to me,

KC: Then you're kind,

KC: (oh, and let’s not forget the bathroom incident)

KC: and now you're offering for me to be leader?

KC: What the hell is going on with you?

CG: I DON’T KNOW

CG: BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT WHEN YOU GET BACK

KC: We could talk about it right now.

CG: ARGH, JUST COME BACK TO BASE!!

CG: THE HUMANS ARE STARTING THE SCRATCH AND IT’S NOT SAFE

KC: Have you forgotten that I’m a human too?

CG: OH COME ON

CG: DON’T BE LIKE THAT

CG: YOU’VE BEEN WITH STUCK WITH US SHITHEADS FOR A WHILE NOW

CG: YOU’RE KINDA LIKE,

CG: ONE OF US

KC: who are you and what have you done with karkat vantas.

CG: CAN YOU STOP ARGUING WITH ME AND JUST GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE???

KC: Is that an order, _leader_?

carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling kittyCaterina [KC]

KC: I guess so.

kittyCaterina [KC] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

I begrudgingly returned to the lab and avoiding Karkat, I walked off to a secluded area in the lab, and looked out at all of space around us. It made no sense how the hell I was able to breathe out here, but video game logic, I guess.

* * *

 

Karkat's POV

I couldn't see their timelines anymore. The scratch had been done, and the humans successfully created a new session while escaping their own. I could only hope that Caterina was safe out there, if she decided not to listen to me and stayed at LOSAS. When John and the rest come here, at least Cat wouldn't be alone anymore and she'd have her dancestor with her. Was she really miserable here, alone with us? And what did she mean that Nepeta had cared so much for me?

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling kittyCaterina [KC]

CG: WHERE ARE YOU?

CG: ARE YOU BACK AT BASE?

CG: JACK IS OUT THERE

CG: IF HE FINDS YOU, HE WON'T HESITATE TO KILL YOU

CG: HELLO???

CG: CAT COME ON, PLEASE JUST ANSWER

CG: YOU'RE THE ONLY SANE ONE HERE

CG: FUCK.

I growled in frustration and got up from my computer. I went outside to clear my head, and wow, there she was.

"JEGUS CAT, THERE YOU ARE! YOU HAD ME SO WORRIED."

"Wha?" She turned around.

"Karkat? You went looking for me??" She said, a tone of confusion and slight disbelief in her voice.

"NOT NECESSARILY. I JUST WENT OUT TO CLEAR MY HEAD, AND HERE YOU ARE."

"So... what the hell is going on with you?"

I sighed. "I don't know."

"Everything... everything has just.. been so stressful," I confessed softly.

"I guess I just want someone to take off all this pressure on me."

We sat down on the ground together, and she gently sighed too.

"Trust me, I've been feeling the stress too, I've been so scared, lately." she practically whispered, almost as if to herself.

"Scared? Scared of what?" I asked, looking at her.

"...I don't want to die. I'm..” she hesitated. _What is she talking about?_

“I’m so scared of you, of trolls in general, and of this game, of my future here. What's going to happen? I don't know, and that's what scares me." She looked away, off into the distance.

"Cat, you don't have to be scared of me. Yeah, I'm a troll and I've had my fair share of killing, but we all have. You have to understand that. Don't you think that if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already and left you to Gamzee?" I said, almost irritated that she couldn’t trust me.

She was silent for a while.

"She loved you, you know." Cat said in a low voice.

"What? Who?" I asked, a blush rising on my face.

"Nepeta. She would go on and on about you to me and tried so hard to impress you. My heart broke for her when you never seemed to notice her affections, but she was always so happy and upbeat about it, never doubting that one day, you'd be her matesprit."

"Shit, way to make me feel like an asshole, Cat." I said, feeling terrible for being too much of an idiot to notice Nepeta's affections. And even more horrible for... Ugh.

 


	4. The Arrival

Caterina's POV

I trudged over to my respite block, exhausted with too many things on my mind. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling, Karkat's clothes still on the edge of my mattress. I looked around my room at all the things Nepeta left behind, since we had roomed together. Part of me was still grieving and trying to forgive Gamzee for this, but it was time to move on. Instead of grieving that she was gone, I should look around here and appreciate what's left here with me. Surrounded by trolls and troll possessions, I held Karkat's shirt close to me, (a guilty pleasure) and I thought about Nepeta; I felt terrible about having feelings for Karkat. Angrily, I threw his shirt across the room. His sign, cancer, arced in the light and landed in a heap on the floor. Tired and awfully guilty, I drifted to sleep.

I regained consciousness engulfed in gold and yellow. I was even wearing it. Is this Prospit? I wondered. I got out of my golden bed and in my golden nightgown, I strode over to the window of my tower and looked out. From here, I could see strange visions in the clouds, and tiny white people scuttling about. I was too busy looking out the window that I didn't realize someone was behind me–

         With a choked gasp, I felt a knife in my back. The shock kicked in, and then everything went black.

I shot up out of my bed, still exhausted. I was panting, my heart still racing from the shock and I practically ran into the lab. Who stabbed me? ...Was it Nepeta? Does she know? Does she hate me??

         Kanaya looked at me questioningly.

"Whatever Is The Matter, Caterina?" She asked.

"I just... died.. I went to sleep and someone stabbed me!" I hadn't realized I was shaking.

"I Wouldn't Worry About It, All Of Our Dream Selves Have Died As Well," she said reassuringly.

"Why??"

"Because Jack Felt Like It." She replied simply.

"Jack??" I questioned, relief washing over me.

         Too scared to be left alone, I stayed in the lab at my designated computer for most of the day, which was a rarity.

"WELL, LOOK WHO'S FINALLY HERE." Karkat came up to me and said sarcastically.

"Leave me alone, Karkat, I'm not in the mood today." I snapped with a passive aggressive venom in my voice. I was too tired to deal with his hot/cold attitude and my horrible guilt.

"ALRIGHT THEN, JEEZ," he said defensively.

"WAIT, WHAT'S WRONG?"

There was no time for us to deal with our tension now.

"We better get outside, Rose and Dave are going to be arriving soon," I said, getting up from my seat.

Sollux was bleeding, his mustard blood everywhere as he sped our meteor faster and faster, toward the Green Sun. Finally, we met with the infamous Dave and Rose, and it was so weird and yet relieving that I wouldn't be the only human on this asteroid anymore. I was so happy that I ran over to them, hugged them tightly in greeting, and smiled proudly at their God tier apparel.

         Karkat got what he wanted as he quickly relinquished his role as leader over to Strider and Rose. It was so fun to finally be together, even if we still had to wait three years until Jade and John came along. I was so excited to meet my ancestors, especially when John left us his message in the bucket that hit Karkat in the face. I laughed so hard I was about to pee myself until the unlucky troll glared daggers at me sharp enough to kill. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't get over the fact that finally, I didn’t have to feel so alone. It really had been an overwhelming day. Feeling tired again, I trotted off back to my room.

I fell onto my bed, and reluctantly fell asleep.

While in my dream, I regained consciousness with a smiling face peering down at me. Oh hell no. Not again.

I quickly shot up and attacked whoever was there.

A tiny black head fell from the black shoulders from my assailant. Oh god, I can't believe I did that... Jesus, where am I now? Looking down, I was dressed in purple rather than gold, and looking out, the tiny people were black instead of white.

"welcome to derse, stranger."

"HELL NO I SWEAR TO GOD WHO ELSE IS GOING TO-" I swung around again, my sword arcing in the light.

It met with a parry, and I was face to face with another human. I lowered my arm.

"Sorry... I thought you were here to kill me too.." I apologized.

"that's cool, but who are you? i haven't seen you before." The stranger said. He looked somewhat like Dave, maybe his older brother?

"I'm Caterina.. I'm a descendant of Jade, and I've been living with the trolls for a while now.. Apparently I have two dream selves? I was killed by Jack on Prospit and now here I am on.. Derse? What a weird name," I said.

I looked at the Dave-look-alike to answer, but he just stood there, stoic.

"Hello...?"

After a few moments he shook himself out of his daze and his eyes focused again.

"Are you okay...?"

"yeah, i'm fine, sorry it's just difficult to keep track of two waking selves at once. actually, i got to go before they realize i'm awake, so you should wake up too. like right now."

"Wait, who are you?"

"name's dirk."

And with that, he pushed me back onto my bed and flew away.

****  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, sorry that this was so short! I promise the next one will be longer <3
> 
> Secondly, UPD8! So, I have planned out all future chapters for this story, as well as the ending! I hope you guys like what I have in store :) I have a whole outline, but I just need to actually write them out. So far, I have up to chapter 9 written, so we'll be on a steady consistent schedule. I'd say that we have about 5 or 6 more chapters left to go after that, maybe? I just wanted to keep you up to date. Love you guys and thanks so much for reading!!


	5. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So imma just leave this here... (I have my SAT test today wish me luck!) I felt like posting early. OH WELL.

Caterina's POV

    I woke up again with yet another face glaring down at me. Jesus, this was already getting old.

"Karkat? Why are you here?"

"WHERE DID YOU PUT MY CLOTHES THAT I LENT YOU?"

I sighed, annoyed at being bothered.

"Here," I huffed, picking up the shirt from the ground and throwing it at him.

It hit him straight in the face and despite my grumpy mood, I giggled slightly.

“OH, SO THIS IS THE THANKS I GET FOR GIVING YOU CLOTHES SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE NAKED EVERYWHERE,YOU'RE WELCOME YOU UNGRATEFUL NOOKSUCKER!” he said irritated, turning to leave.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I just had another near death experience in my dreams, and I'm not in the best mood right now. I think people have been trying to specifically assassinate me on Derse and Prospit.."

"WAIT, DERSE *AND* PROSPIT? YOU HAVE TWO DREAM SELVES?"

"I guess so. I woke up with someone looming over me, ready to stab me again until I swung around and decapitated him. Then I heard yet another person behind me, so I swung around again, but it just turned out to be another human named Dirk."

"OH, GREAT. MORE HUMANS."

"Wow, thanks. You make me feel so special and welcomed here, Karkat, I wonder why you're not part of the welcoming committee." I said, slightly offended.

"GOG, YOU KNOW I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT. YOU'RE AROUND US SO MUCH THAT SOMETIMES I FORGET YOU'RE NOT A TROLL. YOU'RE ACTUALLY ONE OF THE MORE TOLERABLE HUMANS." He trailed off.

"Wish I could say the same about you," I joked, poking fun at him.

He rolled his eyes. "YEAH, YEAH."

He paused and came over to sit on my bed, his tone more serious now.

"Did she really love me?" Karkat said softly, looking around the room at Nepeta's abandoned belongings.

"Yes, she told me that she drew pictures of you guys together on her shipping wall and she was always so excited when she was talking about you. She adored you, and sometimes I would get so angry because you seemed to never give her the time of day. I always wondered why she liked you so much."

"I'm such an asshole," he admitted, his head falling into his hands. I could see the slightest stream of red tears squeeze through his fingers.

"Yeah, you are, but what happened to her wasn't your fault. You tried the best you could. You initially brought us all together. You, Karkat, brought together 11 trolls, all from different places on the hemospectrum, and completed the game. You made me, (indirectly) and you made my universe. I owe my life to you, and so do all the other humans."

He looked at me, wiping away the red off his face.

“I still gave your entire universe cancer,” he pointed out. I sighed.

"It wasn't your fault that Jack, by some glitch, fucked up the prize for winning the game and it's not your fault Gamzee went crazy. You did what you could," I placed my hand on top of his.

"And I admire you so much for it," I added softly.

* * *

Karkat's POV

She admires me? I marveled at this. I have been nothing but an asshole to her, but still, she's praising me. I couldn't tell her how much her words meant to me, and I could feel my pathetic heart swell. I didn't deserve this at all.

"Why do you keep telling me all these nice things? I don't deserve it at all. I've been nothing but a fuckass to you." I reasoned with her.

"Yeah," she chuckled. "A fuckass that saved my life and even clothed me when I needed it," she said. "Your only offense is that you're absolutely oblivious to when someone has a crush on you,"

"Why would anyone have a crush on me??" I asked, almost annoyed. "I'm literally the epitome of a royal fuck up, and a shit excuse for a leader and a troll. I'm a mutant with freak blood for fuck's sake!"

"Maybe if you learned to love yourself a bit more, you'd find out." she said gently.

I pondered this as we walked together down to the common room.

* * *

Caterina's POV

"well well well, where have you guys been?" I heard Dave joke.

"FUCK OFF, STRIDER." Karkat yelled in his usual irritated voice.

"Hey, Dave," I called out.

"what's up?"

"How do I become God Tier like you and Rose?" I asked, curious about their strange "pajamas."

"oh, uh.. you complete all the puzzles and quests on your planet and off yourself on the sacrificial table." He said simply.

My eyes widened.

"I have to what?!"

"yep."

"O-okay... Well, Karkat, I have to go back to LOSAS then." I started to walk away, but Karkat grabbed my arm.

"I'M NOT YOUR LEADER ANYMORE. YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE GOING, BUT I *AM* GOING WITH YOU." Karkat proclaimed firmly.

There was no arguing this, especially with _him._

"Alright, then let's go."

In LOSAS, it was pitch black. It was always this way. In order to see, you had to make noise and the sound waves would light the way. The loss of sight forced us to rely on our other senses, our hearing and smell, for example. Karkat of course, didn't have any problem complaining.

"HOW DO YOU EVEN SEE ON THIS DAMNED PLANET?"

"The sound wav-"

"IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE, HOW DO YOU SEE THE IMPS? I MEAN, HOW STUPID IS IT TO USE SOUND TO SEE?"

"Karkat, just shut up," I sighed, exasperated.

"You were the who wanted to come here, right? We have to find this sacrificial bed now."

"ALRIGHT," he grumbled.

Our steps illuminated only a few feet around us, so we didn't have to worry about bumping into anything directly in front of us. From time to time, I shot a bullet into the distance, to light the way ahead. It took honed skill to be able to see the sound waves coming off the imps and shoot them from far away. In the waters nearby, we could see splashes of color when the whales and dolphins bellowed out their wails and calls to one another. The beaches had rolling waves of sound that resonated throughout the area.

"IT'S... PRETTY," Karkat marveled.

"Yeah," I agreed, admiring the view.

"I wonder how we're going to find it, the bed, I mean." I wondered aloud.

"YOU HAVE TO TALK TO YOUR CONSORTS AROUND HERE TO FIND CLUES, BUT CAN YOU SPEAK WHALE?"

I looked back to the sea. A row of dolphins rise and fell in the waves.

"I think we should follow them."

One dolphin poked its head out and playfully clicked at me, as if confirming my thought.

"Come on, you lazy bum," I chided, reaching out for his hand.

With a look of apprehension, he followed along as the dolphins guided us.

* * *

Karkat's POV

My face began to flush when she suddenly reached out for my hand, but it didn't matter because it was so damn dark in this place. It was so dark and the use-sound-to-see thing was annoying, but there was still a type of natural beauty to her planet. I was amazed at how much she actually trusted me, even though I would have to be the one to kill her on that bed. A feeling of dread began to fill my gut, but I swallowed it down and reminded myself why I volunteered to go with her: I couldn't trust anyone else to do this but me.

     At last, we reached it. The dolphins swam away, and we were left alone on this hill.

"CAT... YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO, RIGHT? WHY I CAME WITH YOU?"

She nodded, slowly laying on the cold stone bed. Out of context, this would be a different situation entirely, but now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Here, Karkat," she said softly, handing me her rifle/sword. I swung it in the air to transform it.

I lifted the now sword into the air, and I looked into her dark brown eyes. In them, I could see her love for me, and her trust that it would all be okay. Sword raised high, a single red tear streaked my cheek. I couldn't believe that I actually hated her at one point. I couldn't possibly hate her now.


	6. Thief of Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about Monday!! I completely forgot to update!! Really sorry about that. Okay so behind the scenes, I am up to chapter 11 writing wise, with one big filler chapter between now and chapter 11. I have planned that we will diverge from canon up until right before Jake thoroughly talks to John. From there, I will go with the ending I have originally planned before all this updating nonsense, and hopefully you guys will like what I have in store.

 

Karkat's POV

    I closed my eyes and brought the sword down on her breast, feeling her warm red blood splatter onto my grey skin. I looked at what I had done and shamelessly began to sob at her feet as she remained motionless. I didn’t really realize how much I came to care for her, even if she was annoying as fuck sometimes. Too sassy for her own good.

I slumped there for a minute or two, drowning in self loathing until I saw a swarm of stark black coming towards me with flashes of color. I raised the bloodied sword, enraged and ready to fight. Hordes of bats began to fly towards her body, and then I understood. Tiny bats, almost cute up close, began to tend to her corpse, raising her high in the air. I could only watch the transformation in awe. I hated how my heart began to stir as I watched her.

   She was dressed in an almost mustard yellow gown, and a symbol, a white circle surrounded by other circles, adorned her dress. She regained consciousness.

"Karkat, cover your ears." She commanded. I did so.

She clapped, and the sound shook the entire planet, illuminating the ground in waves.

I was amazed by her. However, the sound brought hordes of imps over and she was calm, still floating in the air. I equipped my sickle, but clearly I wasn't needed. She raised her arm and lowered it, and everything around us was pitch black again. I couldn't hear anything.

"CAT?!" I yelled out. Nothing.

I grew nervous as my two vital senses were stolen from me. I started swinging my sickle blindly.

I felt that I was hitting something, so I kept swinging and swinging.

"Karkat, stop!" I finally heard her voice again.

I dropped my weapon and opened my eyes warily.

"They're gone," she reassured me. "Are you okay?"

"ASIDE FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE OR HEAR WHILE MILLIONS OF TINY THINGS WERE ATTACKING ME, I'M DOING GREAT, THANKS." I said sarcastically.

She frowned. "I'm sorry, I guess I forgot that you aren't used to fighting that way. But the good thing is you're okay."

"WHAT DID YOU EVEN DO BACK THERE?"

"I can control sound. I can amplify it, like this-" she raised her arm and snapped her fingers, and the sound spread in large, bright waves around us. "and I can lower it, like this-" she lowered her arm and spoke again. I couldn't hear her, and the light dimmed again.

"However, when I touch you, you can still hear me normally whether or not I have amplified or lowered the sound around us." She continued. "I can also attack or distract any enemies by using the sound waves."

“WHOA, CAT… THAT’S AMAZING..”

“Come on, Karkat, let’s go home.” she smiled at me.

"NOT JUST YET. DON'T YOU WANNA EXPLORE A LITTLE MORE AROUND HERE?"

"Alright," she agreed.

 


	7. Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an apology, (plus chapter 6 is really short) I'll post chapter 7 right away. (I really shouldn't spoil you guys so much, or I'll leave myself with a shorter amount of time to catch up!!)

Caterina’s POV

We found ourselves sitting down together by the soundwaves, watching the rise and fall of the colors. It was calm, peaceful, and quiet, the waves crashed gently ashore.

Finally, Karkat spoke.

“I meant what I said.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“If something ever happens to me, promise me that I can trust you to lead.”

“Karkat…” My heart began to pound. “What… what are you saying??”

“I’m saying that besides Egbert, I trust you most in leading this group. In helping us win the game. You’re the least shitty person here.” He smiled.

“Oh my god, I didn’t know your face could make that shape!” I joked.

“What?” He frowned now, his face crinkling slightly.

“I didn’t know you could smile, it’s a rare expression on you.” I grinned.

He rolled his eyes at me.

“Do you promise? Promise to take care of them?” He looked into my eyes, searching for a sign of sincerity, perhaps.

“I promise,” I vowed, my hands moving to cover his. I squeezed them slightly, my heart thumping from touching him.

“Just… don’t go dying on me any time soon, okay? Can you promise me that?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere for now. I won’t leave you like that.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

We stayed like that for a while, our hands still intertwined as the tension built around us. Eventually he let go of one of my hands to wrap around me and pull me close. I barely concealed a gasp at being so near to him, but I could hardly help myself as I leaned on him, my head falling onto his shoulder as we watched the waves together. I could have stayed there forever in the peaceful quiet.

“You have no idea how hard it was to… to hurt you like that.” He said suddenly.

I looked at him and nuzzled his shoulder gently.

“I know,” I said frowning at him.  “When I rose again I could see the tears in your eyes– I should have just done it myself, I’m sorry, Karkat.”

“Don’t be sorry, I wanted to be the one to do it. I don’t trust any of the other trolls with your life, except maybe Sollux. But having to do that, just… losing you, even for a second made realize how much I care about you, how much I…”

Oh my god, is he saying what I think he’s saying?! Oh no, this isn’t good at all… Nepeta, I’m so, so, sorry. I thought as my face blushed red. His grip on my hand tightened.

He swallowed hard. “How much I love you,” he finished.

He looked at me, his eyes almost pleading and face flushed as he opened up to me, completely vulnerable. I think my heart melted.

My hand let go of his, and I reached up to cup his face, my thumb gently caressing his cheekbone. He sighed and closed his eyes as his hand covered mine on his cheek.

“Karkat, believe me, I want to be with you, but…–”

“You can’t betray her.” He frowned slightly. "I understand."

“Either way, I hope this will suffice for now,” I said as I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his so lightly and so softly, it was a ghost of a kiss.

He gave me a gentle smile. “I can wait.”

“I’ll find a way to talk to her.” I promised.

“Come on, let’s go,” he said, getting up.

“But it’s so nice here,” I whined.

“Get up you lazy fuck,” His hands gripped mine.

“Alright, alright!" I said, and he proceeded to pull me up.

I tried to ignore just how warm and strong his hands were, and how perfectly my hands fit in his. I sighed, feeling so conflicted, and color burst near me with the sound.

 


	8. Dream Bubbles

 

Caterina's POV

After returning back to the meteor after a long, long, day, I was happy to return to my respite block and fall asleep once again. However, with both of my dream selves gone now, I no longer woke up on the moons anymore.

I opened my eyes to the four walls of my room, of the life I had left behind. A wave of homesickness crashed into me, and tears sprang to my eyes, but my heart quickly twanged in loneliness from the absence of Karkat.

"Karkat?" I called, looking around, but from what I could tell, he wasn't here. Hot panic began boil in my belly, and my heart raced. As much as I loved being back home after so long, what about my other home? What about the life I made with my new friends? With Karkat?? What if I'll never see them again?? What about my promise?? I fell to my knees on the carpet and began to sob. I looked up and looked into the mirror before me, seeing my own ugly crying face.

"What is happening to me?" I whimpered softly.

"you're in a dream bubble," a girl said, almost excitedly.

I looked up at the new arrival. She was floating in the air, clad with a red robe, wings, and curled horns on either side of her head. Oh, god, another troll...

"you may have met my bot before it sadly exploded, but i am Aradia and i am very much alive."  She said with a gentle tone in her voice. "i stay here to greet the dead in their dream bubbles, but don't worry, you're just as alive as i am here." Relief washed over me, knowing that I was still in the troll's universe, and "very much alive" as well.

"So, what is a dream bubble exactly?" I asked, wondering how the hell I could possibly be in my room and not in my own dimension.

"dream bubbles are where you go when your dream lives have been used up. seeing that you are god tier, i assume that you used your last life to level up. here in the dream bubbles, we can interact with both the dead and the living, residing in the memories we leave behind. so this bubble is only a memory you had of your old life."

"Can I travel to other dream bubbles?"

"yes, but i would steer clear of other people's personal memories, if i were you. sometimes there are just things that are better left unseen. but most trolls lock their private dream bubbles, anyway."

"follow me," Aradia smiled at me.

“there’s is someone who has been quite eager to see you.”

“Nepeta??”

Aradia just grinned in response as we entered another dream bubble, the atmosphere changing all around us.

I was engulfed in a dark cave surrounded by red, and the stench of rotting animals. I shuddered, not liking the looks of this place at all. It was eerie and the place stank of death, but something told me that this is what Nepeta’s old respiteblock looked like. I gazed around the walls, and found scribbles and drawings stained on the stone.

“Hi, kittyCat!!” I heard an excited voice chirp behind me, and Nepeta pounced on me in a hug.

“Nepeta!!!” I spun around and hugged her back tightly. She purred in my arms, and I was so happy to see her. She hadn’t changed much, except for her eyes, they were a dull white now, nothing visible in them.

"I've missed you so much Nepeta, and I'm so sorry.. I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything help, I'm sorry I let you down, I'm sorry I–"

"what are you so sorry furr, kittyCat? youre so silly, youve done nothing purrfectly wrong!"

"Nepeta.. I let you down, I.. Karkat.." I tried to confess.

"i know," she said.

“Wait… you know? How?”

“shhh!! i knew that you and karkitty would always be good furriends once you two got to know each other! i dated a few karkitties myself here in the dream bubbles, and although we weren’t a really purrfect match furr each other, i think you two will!”

“I.. I don’t know what to say, Nepeta, I..”

She stopped my blabbering and clutched my arm, her claws nearly piercing my skin. My eyes widened, and I was suddenly very aware that she could easily kill me on the spot in this moment.

“caterina,” she said, saying my full name for the first time, “purromise that you’ll take good care of karkitty, ok? karkat has been through so much and i just want him to be happy with someone that’s good furr him. i think that person could be you, caterina!”

She let go of me and pulled me into a hug.

“purromise?” Nepeta looked up at me with her big, seemingly innocent eyes.

“Promise,” I said solemnly. Jeez, with so many promises to keep, I just hope that I can stay true to them all.

I woke up in the darkness of our shared respite block, and looking up, I saw Karkat sitting idly in the darkness, working on his husktop.

"Karkat?" I said sleepily.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"What... What are you doing in my respite block?"

"It was quieter here than in the lab. Plus, I heard you crying as I was passing by, so I thought I'd stay here with you until you woke up. Are you okay now?" Karkat's voice was soft, concerned. He was very, very different with his friends and those he loved deeply in a red way.

"Yeah, I was in a dream bubble with… “ I swallowed the tears down. “with Nepeta," I finished.

He swiveled around in his chair. "What'd she say??"

"She's really happy for us." I beamed at him.

He got up and sat on my bed next to me. He wiped a stray tear away and pulled me close.

Karkat looked up toward the ceiling in silent thanks towards Nepeta, I assumed.

"Great, now I'm a hypocrite," he grumbled.

"Yeah, you are. You were complaining so much about everyone hitting on each other and 'sloppy troll/human makeouts,' and yet here we are." I looked up at him.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me,” he murmured into my ear.

I leaned in and gently pressed my lips to his. His hand found the small of my back as he pulled me closer to him and I ran my hand through his unruly hair. I reached up, up, into his hair until I found the little nubs on his head.

“So nubby,” I breathed onto his lips, a smirk growing on my face.

He growled in annoyance and bit at my lip, demanding entrance. A sharp fang pierced my fragile lip, and I slightly gasped in response. He took the opportunity to glide his tongue over the wound he created and into my mouth, tasting the metallic blood with my saliva. Karkat pushed me down onto the bed and took control, tangling his body with mine and enveloping my body with his warmth.

I rubbed the little nubs on his head as we kissed, and was rewarded with a series of purrs and a glare when his crimson eyes met mine. In revenge, he began pushing up my shirt, feeling my body around the sides. I shuddered at his sudden touch and I melted in his arms. Eventually I had to push him away to catch my breath, and I peeled off my shirt, throwing it somewhere on the floor next to me. He looked at me, a blush creeping in his cheeks despite all his dominance before. As I moved toward him again, he started sitting up, but I pushed him back down.

"My turn," I smiled mischievously.

He looked a little apprehensive, but I was gentle with him. I slowly pushed up his shirt, revealing his grey chest in the darkness, and though it was a little hard to see, I felt the endless scars and blemishes on his chest. Self conscious, he attempted to cover them up, but I pushed his hands away.

"You don't need to do that," I murmured softly.

"But... They're ugly, I'm ugly..." He trailed off. He was too ashamed of himself to look me in the eye.

I moved my hands all over his chest, caressing his scars and blemishes, and kissing every one. I pulled off his sweater and threw it in the same direction as my shirt.

My thumbs gently massaged the grub scars on his sides and he visibly shivered in my arms. He was determined on looking at anywhere else but me. I came up to him and tipped up his face so he looked me in the eye. He blushed ten different shades of pink and dark red.

"You're beautiful, Karkat. You may not be perfect, not in the slightest, but you're pretty damn close." I whispered, looking into his deep red eyes. I wrapped my arms around him then, burying my face into his neck and I felt his arms coming together at my back, and he played with the clasp of my bra.

"Not today," I breathed into his neck, kissing it softly.

He chucked, and I felt his chest vibrate with the sound underneath me.

"What now, then?" He asked. "I don't mind staying like this for a while."

"Neither do I," I agreed, "but eventually we're going to have to get up sooner or later.."

He groaned. "Being a leader is hard work," he grumbled.

"I thought you gave it up to Strider and Rose," I remarked.

"Only for now, while we're waiting for Jade and John to get their asses over here," he said. "You really thought I could give up being leader? Although, Gog knows I need a fucking break..." He sighed.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"For?"

"Being here. Being you."

There was a sudden beep on his crab watch.

"yo, karkat, you there?"

Karkat and I looked at each other. It was Dave.

"Like I said, I can't catch a fucking break!" He whispered furiously in a voice only I could hear.

Karkat was grumbling under his breath to Dave's inaudible instructions.

I looked at Karkat's shirtless body, every muscle at attention in his usual irritation. I reached over and rubbed his tense back. He automatically stiffened, as was his natural instinct, but he relaxed when he felt my gentle touch. He sighed.

“ALRIGHT I’M COMING,” Karkat was responding to Dave.

I handed him his shirt. He uttered a soft  thank you and kissed my hand gently. I pulled my shirt back on and we exited the room, hand in hand.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“DAVE WANTS ME TO MEET HIM SOMEWHE--” he paused.

“...OH GOD.”

A drunk, half naked, and unconscious Terezi was snoring on the floor, surrounded by a pool of sticky red faygo littered with its empty containers.

"Gamzee." He spat through gritted teeth.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and don't hesitate to leave kudos or a comment below! Love ya'll~ <3  
> \- Careline


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